A Chance Encounter
by amaire yunalesca
Summary: Narrow streets, secluded pathways, little niches. A café, tucked into a tiny corner. Paris. It was here Kinomoto Sakura had a moment with fate. And it was in Japan that ... Sakura x Syaoran. Please don't read it if you’re into pure lemon. Please RxR.
1. Chapter 1

**A CHANCE ENCOUNTER**

Note: Cardcaptor Sakura is © CLAMP

INTRODUCTION

Cobblestones. Narrow streets, secluded pathways, little niches. A café, tucked into a tiny corner only viewable by walking by. Like a curios store. Hidden treasures, found everywhere. A small town within an enormous city. Yes, that was Paris. City within city. At least in this part of town. And it was here Kinomoto Sakura had a moment with fate.

CHAPTER 1

Autumn. Crisp autumn. Chilly, yet inviting. Nippy. Made everything the patisseries make smell better. Taste better when eaten. Summer couldn't do that. And in winter you were too busy ice skating on a frozen pond. But time had run out…

With the blustery wind blowing her pink taffeta skirt to a full puff, Kinomoto Sakura ran down the cobbled sidewalks of Paris, fiery dried leaves dancing at her ankles and around her boots. She had one hand on her head holding down her felt red beret and as a particularly breezy gust blew her skirt up and while she took her hand off her head and used both hands to push the skirt back down and endured the jeering and hooting of raucous French teenagers, the red beret promptly released itself from her head and sailed back down the road. The wind did not stop blowing as she ran back the way she came, running after her beret which was taunting her, allowing her to almost touch the soft red felt, and then sped up in pace. Finally, it fell to the ground and as Sakura stooped down to pick it up, she bumped her head into an awfully flexible tree.

"Ow…" _What kind of tree is planted in the middle of the sidewalk?_

Cough Sakura looked up and met the penetrating hazel eyes of a young man. Attractive. Wearing a light umber trench coat. A white scarf. As she picked up her beret, she noticed Gucci black leather shoes. Gucci. A rich man. Boy. Teenager. He seemed her age. He had very nice eyes, and his-

"Ah…mademoiselle… tu..." Sakura looked up and realized that her skirt had flown up and she had exposed quite a bit of skin to the boy. And maybe even her… Sakura's face grew very pink and she quickly stood up.

"I- I- I'm very sorry to bother you I…" Wait. He spoke French. Why was she speaking Japanese to him? "Je… trés…dolour pour…" She didn't know enough French to make a complete sentence.

"That's quite alright. You have pretty sexy legs." What? He spoke French and Japanese? Her legs? What the fuck? Sexy legs? What kind of low person would comment on her legs while she was embarrassed and stammering and trying to apologize?

"… have a nice day sir." She put the beret back on top of her head and ran as fast as she could in the other direction. _Stupid. Stupid pervert. Stupid fucking_-

"Wait!" He grabbed her arm. "I'm Li Syaoran. Tell me your name, please?" _It's Sakura. Kinomoto Sakura. And tell me you'll take me to eat somewhere. You embarrassed me. You deserve to treat me. And tell me I have nice boobs too because I know you looked at them. Oh stupid stupid stupid stu-_

"I'm a very busy person. It was nice meeting… and… chatting with you." Sakura felt a jerk on her arm and realized that he was still holding her arm. Lin, or Li or whatever his name was. "Excuse me Li…san. I really must go." And shoving his hand off her arm, she ran away.

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She was attractive. Mmm… very attractive. Japanese girl. With green eyes. Those green eyes… like emeralds. Sparkling, full of life. Very nice lips. What was she doing in Paris? Looked like one of those Japanese tourists except she didn't seem like she was there to buy designer products cheap. She was by herself. With very little knowledge of the French language. A vacation? Studying abroad? When was she leaving?

_I hope I meet you again, Sakura-iro mademoiselle._ What other name could he give her? Her skirt… her underwear… was the color… of cherry blossoms.

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Sakura pushed open the wrought-iron door and clambered inside. Waiting guests crossed their arms and shivered as the incoming gust of wind blew leaves onto the faded wooden floor and through their clothes. The room was warm, and the coat hanger by the door displayed an array of jackets, from conservative to colorful. She took a deep breath. Mmm… yes, bakery hour was something to look forward to every day. Fresh bread, sugar. She got in line and looked at the display cases, wondering what she would eat as guests all around her chatted in rapid French.

"Excusez-moi? Ah… mademoiselle-" She looked up and saw a middle-aged man, impatient and clicking his tongs, waiting for her order.

"Ah… bonjour. Ano… kore… to kore… to kore… ano… quatre… macaroon… s'il vous plait… monsieur." Terrible. Embarrassing. Little Japanese girl in a big French city and can't string together 5 words in French. But she had her order. As she waited to pay, she saw packaged sugar cubes sitting in a bowl, and inconspicuously slipped some into her pocket. Yes, sugar cubes from Paul were always a delight. Better than regular sugar.

Sakura walked away from Paul glowing, holding the small peach cardboard box out in front of her like a bowl of water. As she leaned on a railing near the store, she put her nose against the box and took a deep breath. _That smells so good_. She carefully opened a box and took out a pain au chocolat. _Mmm… it's still warm. Oishiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!_ Sakura took a gigantic bite out of the croissant and closed the box. Another bite. Gushing out melted chocolate. The last bite. Her happy face. Passersby must have thought she was crazy.

And holding the peachy box in her hands, Sakura made for her hotel.

And a man with penetrating hazel eyes watched her skip down the streets of Paris.

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Note : Paul is a bakery in France. It is quite popular, though not as popular as Ladurée, which is famous for their macaroons.


	2. Chapter 2

**A CHANCE ENCOUNTER**

Note: Cardcaptor Sakura is © CLAMP

I apologize for my terrible French. ½ of it is online translation and ½ of it is from one year of high school French.

Also, thanks for the reviews. I didn't know that they would, or could, come so fast. It makes me deliriously happy just thinking about them. I'm very humbled …

CHAPTER 2

"Attention: Boarding for flight A613 bound for Japan has now begun. Will all first class and business class passengers please approach the gate now." It wasn't fair. She shouldn't have to leave… she didn't want to leave. France had become such a familiar place to her. The weather, the atmosphere, everything about it she loved. Loved so much…

"Attention : L'embarquement pour le vol A613 en route pour Japon a commencé maintenant. Fera tous passagers de première classe et classe affaires approchent le portail maintenant." _But that person last week was... intriguing. I want to meet him again. And this time I want to ask him for a drink. I should have let him… I wanted him to… why… dad and Touya would be furious… if you were so interested in him why didn't you take the initiative stupid? Oh stupid…who am I kidding… I'm never gonna see him again._

"Will rows 25-49 approach the gate now. Les rangées de volonté 25 à 49 approchent svp la porte maintenant." Row 28A. Her turn… in economy class. She was rich enough to be in business class but... Her father and brother were already inside, sitting in business class seats. Business class… reclining chairs that could lower themselves to become beds, unlimited snacks and drinks… reclining chairs… reclining chairs… Row 28A. Back to Japan.

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"Ahhhh! I'm so tired!" Sakura twisted her body back and forth, over and under, stretching it out, trying to relieve the kinks from flying for over 16 hours straight. The economy seat didn't help either. She could have gotten a business class seat but no, she didn't want to trouble her father for the sake of less than a day's worth of comfort. Discomfort was natural. Needed. $500 saved. Good enough.

She took out a packaged sugar cube that she had "taken" from Paul, unwrapped it, and sucked on it. The delicate sweetness filled her entire mouth and the sugar cube crumbled up in her mouth, like candy. Nibbling on it gave it a crunchy effect that after 5 minutes produced more aching front teeth than anything else, but sucking on it was wonderful.

The frost-covered window displayed a birds-eye view of Japan. Mt. Fuji. It was already covered with snow. And it just looked… wonderful. Homey. Home at last.

Augh… the lurch of the stomach as the plane descended made sakura feel sick and at the same time relieved. And the sudden jump as the wheels touched land and the shaking of the plane and the roar of the engines filled her with happiness. _Tomoyo… I have so much to tell you. I can't wait to see you at school._ School. Tomorrow. She wanted to skip school right then and there. There was still time. It was still morning. She had time to get used to Japan again.

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She wanted a new shirt. She had 5000 yen to spend… and 3 hours to spend it. Department stores were messy and sometimes confusing, but they had a wide selection. Maybe a designer shirt? Maybe a designer shirt would be too expensive. Perhaps a ruched t-shirt would be nice. Black with pink polka-dots. And a pair of earrings to go along with that. Sakura made for a rack of colorful shirts and started browsing, pushing aside the ones she had already looked at. "Think of Me" from the Phantom of the Opera played in the background. They barely had English music here, but the ambience it created was nice. Sakura took a particularly short tube dress off the rack and examined it. It was made from terry cloth.

"Don't you think that would look a bit strange on your figure?" _What? That voice… no… it couldn't be…_

She whipped her head around to see who was commenting on her selection and met a grinning face. What? Why was he here? What is he doing in Japan? He's supposed to be in France. _Oh my god. Is it my legs? Is it because he really thinks I have sexy legs and he can't get it out of his head and he's followed me all the way to Japan? Is he stalking me?_

"Funny coincidence… meeting you here… sir." _This is just too strange. I need to get out of here._ Sakura put the dress back on the rack and slowly edged away from the figure of Li Syaoran.

"I think you should get some kind of skirt to go with the shirt you're wearing. Maybe an A-line with eyelet trimming. That would be nice." _Now he's making suggestions about what I should wear? How rude!_

"Thank you for your suggestions, but I think I can do my shopping on my own. Nice meeting you again." Sakura rushed toward the escalator. He grabbed her arm again. _Is this the part where I get dragged off with his hand clamped at my mouth?_

"Would you like to get a drink?" _He asked me! He really asked me…_ No. This was too strange. Maybe he came to Japan just to apologize. Maybe he really wanted a drink. Maybe he would drug the beverage. Maybe… _No. I just need to leave. I need to meet Tomoyo anyway._

"No thank you, um…"

"It's Li. Li Syaoran, remember?"

"No thank you Li-san. I have a previous engagement and I'll be late if I don't go."

"At least tell me your name? You didn't tell me back there." Why would it matter? She was never going to see him again. Then again, she didn't think she'd ever see him again in France and here he was, right in front of her, in Japan, in the same department store. Why would he want to know? Did names matter to him? Did he have a complex about names? Perhaps he would look her name up. Or maybe visit her house and kidnap her. But he didn't look all too dangerous. But...

"Kinomoto Sakura. My name is Kinomoto Sakura. Good day, Li-san." And Sakura rushed to the escalator and disappeared from sight.

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_Sakura… what a beautiful name. I hope I see you again soon.._. Li Syaoran put his hands in his pockets and casually walked toward the shoe department.

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"… and he what?" Daidouji Tomoyo bore her deep violet eyes into Sakura's bottle green ones and leaned forward, clutching a pillow against her body.

"He told me I had sexy legs. I mean, the nerve. I'm crouching there, picking up my beret and he tells me I have sexy legs. He doesn't even cover his eyes or say that I shouldn't let my legs show like that."

"Was he a pervert?"

"I don't know… I mean… he was hot. Definitely hot. And he wore Gucci shoes. You know how much Gucci shoes cost? They're soooo expensive." Sakura shifted her elbow off a remote control and put her head against Tomoyo's egyptian cotton duvet cover. Unlike most of Tomoyo's things, her bedsheets weren't handmade by Tomoyo's skillful hand.

"Mmm… maybe he was trying to make a compliment?"

"Compliment? What kind of jerk suddenly makes a random compliment about your legs while you're red with embarrassment?"

"Dunno… anything else happen?" Sakura got up and jumped off of Tomoyo's bed. Her purse lay on Tomoyo's custom-made bedside table. She opened it and took out two Paul sugarcubes, jumped back on the bed, and placed them into Tomoyo's open hand.

"Went to the bakery every day and ate pastries. Saw the Louvre… saw the Mona Lisa… it really wasn't that interesting to me. They had a lot of… Greek statues. Lots of naked marble people." Sakura watched Tomoyo unwrap the peach packaging off the sugar cube. "Put it in your mouth and let it crumble. It's really good."

"Ooh… it's like… almost lemony. Well that's good. Bring me back anything?" Tomoyo's face changed to amusement as she felt Sakura tense up. Sakura hated people asking her to bring back souvenirs, hated buying them, and hated looking at them. She felt that they had no value.

"You did that to piss me off, huh?"

"I love seeing you get riled up, dahhhling. By the way, Chiharu convinced the student board to let us have a prom-type dance at the end of the year. She said she told them something about 'experiencing cultures of different countries' or something like that. You know what that means, don't you?" Tomoyo let go of the pillow and strolled over to one of the eighteen doors of her closet. As she pulled on the door and released a complex system of folding doors that opened her entire closet, vibrant colors of all sorts popped out. Tulle, satin, lace. Dresses, dresses, dresses, more dresses. Sakura bit her lip. _Tomoyo is thinking of something… I know she is… and it's not just making my dress like she does for everything…_

"Yes… I think…"

"WE ARE GOING TO SOMETHING WITH YOUR ANTISOCIALNESS. WHAT KIND OF CHEERLEADER IS ANTISOCIAL? AND WITH GUYS FOLLOWING HER IN HOARDS TRYING TO ASK HER OUT? Goodness." _You don't need to shout Tomoyo…_

"I'm not interested in anyone. I'm not. I can't force myself to like a guy can I? Last time you and Chiharu pulled one of these American-style get-togethers off you tried to get me to go with Eriol and everyone _knows_ that Eriol wanted to go with you." Tomoyo said nothing. She opened a drawer and pulled out yellow measuring tape, one of the 10 or so measuring tapes she stored in her designing closet. She let it roll down and cracked it, like a whip.

"Well, we'll see. In the meantime, hold out your arms. I think your breasts grew." Tomoyo never said boobs. It was always breasts. Body parts were said in formal language, even in casual conversations. That about Tomoyo gave her an air of elegance that no one else had at the high school level.

"… he didn't say anything about my boobs though." Tomoyo's tape wrapped around her natural waist.

"Mmm… who? That Li guy?"

"Yeah, and I saw him again today too. At the department store. He told me not to buy a tube dress. I was just looking at it and he just came up to me and told me to get a skirt. Can you believe that?"

"Did he tell you or was it a suggestion? Baby, your legs grew too. They're 2 cm longer than last time I made you a dress." Sometimes Tomoyo was so into her work that she didn't hear much of what people told her. But her work was so wonderful. It was hard to find anything wrong with Tomoyo… she was… a perfect friend. And a budding fashion designer.

"I guess it was a suggestion… but… I don't know. It just kind of pissed me off." Tomoyo wrote down the final measurements on a piece of paper and put the measuring tape back into the drawer. "What color should the dress be?" Sakura walked over to the closet and started examining Tomoyo's various bolts of cloth.

"Hm… I don't know. Maybe something iridescent? Like taffeta with tulle overlay? You have dresses made from almost everything I have in here… maybe I should get something new… beading… ehhhhh…" She was so dedicated to her work. Sakura secretly wished she could be like her friend.

"Why don't we think about it later? We have a month, right?"

"Right…" Tomoyo turned to look at the clock on her table. "You should go home now… Touya might get worried."

"Doubt it. But yeah it's late… thanks Tomoyo. I'll see you tomorrow, 'kay?"

Sakura and her best friend hugged and said their good nights. The best friend watched her auburn-headed friend walk down the street, illuminated every 15 seconds or so as she walked past a streetlamp, eventually fading into the blue-black darkness. Started weeping. Sobbing.

_I don't know. I really don't know… how do I tell you my feelings? I'm so disgusting… and if anyone found out… why do I have to be like this…? Oh, Sakura… please come back to me and tell me I'm not so… so… …_


	3. Chapter 3

**A CHANCE ENCOUNTER**

Note: Cardcaptor Sakura is © CLAMP

Yeah um… because I think that creating my own names sounds kinda weird, I'm doing a "tsubasa" (yeah tsubasa is now a term ) and all extra characters will come from actual CLAMP creations :D How exciting is that? Not very, but it just seems a bit more genuine and not some random story a person came up w/ because they were bored and they're fans of Sakura and Syaoran. Well, enjoy 

CHAPTER 3

"Sakura! You're going to be late for school if you don't leave soon!" Kinomoto Fujitaka called up the stairs to his daughter while cooking a vegetable omelette. Mushrooms, tomatoes, peppers, cheese. The savory flavor of the frying egg filled the entire house, and Sakura, checking herself in the mirror for any stray pieces of thread, salivated at the smell as she breathed in and out, staring intently at her posterior.

Tomoeda school uniforms were, according to ninety-eight percent of the school's female population, the cutest, chicest, and most professional-looking uniforms in Japan. Everyone who saw a Tomoeda high school student passing by immediately recognized the dark blue and charcoal uniform. The students always looked neat, sharp. The girl's charcoal skirts were short enough to be cute but still appropriate and not tacky or suggestive. The boy's charcoal slacks always crinkled in the right places and remained perfectly ironed. Every student wore a silver tie, a white starched shirt, and over that, a cardigan, vest, suit jacket, coat, or some combination of the four with the Tomoeda emblem embellished onto the cloth. The students were the pride of the area, with one of the highest cumulative scores in all of Japan. And Sakura, Tomoyo, and friends were part of that wonderful school.

"Papa, why isn't Touya awake yet?" Sakura ran down the stairs with thundering steps, clutching her schoolbag. She rushed to the stove where her father was still cooking the omelette and kissed him good morning.

"Um… because he's out of college and he doesn't need to take you to school like he did when you were ten years old?"

"Oh … I forgot…" Frantically looking through the refrigerator now, Sakura found leftover sushi from the previous night's dinner and dumped it all in a Tupperware box, covered it with a lid, tied a cloth over it, stuffed it into her navy blue school bag, and ran out the side door. "Ittekimasu!"

"Do you think you have time to sit down and eat breakfast, Sakura?" The father looked up from his cooking and realized that his daughter had already left. "I suppose that means no… itterasshai…"

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The grounds of the Tomoeda private schools stood out against the landscape, a grand edifice of learning and youth. It was one of the finest schools in Japan, producing intelligent and insightful students. While Sakura ran as fast as she could, half a mile away elementary school, junior high, and high school students filed in through the massive gates that led to the three separate institutions of education. And as Sakura reached the gates, panting and sweating, the final bell signaling the beginning of school had finished ringing.

_Shit._ Sakura stopped and gasped for breath, then continued running up the path to Tomoeda High School. As she ran through the doors of her school, a long, black car pulled up into the driveway and into the parking lot of the school.

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Tomoyo, Sasaki Rika and Mihara Chiharu stood in a circle between a row of desks in classroom TWO, chatting about what they had done during their break.

"… and Yamazaki starts telling me this stupid story about how Americans started having proms because of the prom ghost." Chiharu huffed and shot a dirty look at Yamazaki Takashi, who was standing in the opposite corner of the room talking to Hiiragizawa Eriol. Yamazaki noticed Chiharu looking at him and blew her a big kiss, making Chiharu redden at the ears. She quickly turned around to face her friends.

"The prom ghost?" Rika looked doubtful.

"Yeah. He tells me that the prom ghost is a spirit that loves to party and dance, but because no one would dance with it when it was still alive, it haunted every home in America until people decided to come up with a dance where the prom ghost could party the night away."

"Do you really believe him Chiharu….?" Growing increasingly red, Chiharu decided to change the subject.

"Well… did you go out with Terada-san during the break, Rika?" At this, Rika blushed several shades of pink, and looked down at the tile floor of the classroom.

"Um… we … we went…" Rika mumbled and grew quiet. Chiharu and Tomoyo laughed good-naturedly at the modesty of their friend. "Where is Sakura?"

"I think she'll come through the doors sometime within the next… ten seconds. No, now." Tomoyo's prediction proved true as Sakura stormed into the classroom that very moment, panting and huffing.

"I… I… made it…" She slid over to where her friends stood and put her head on Tomoyo's shoulder. "Me… so… tired… want… to… sleep…" Sakura's best friend patted her head and slowly pushed it off her shoulder. The cherry blossom whimpered.

"Sakura, tell us about France." France? Oh… yes… she had gone to France that break, and met a guy who she had bumped into at a department store in Japan. A hot guy who was as equally perverted as he was gorgeous. Not that Rika and Chiharu needed to know those insignificant details. The main trip mattered. The culture, the bakery trips… him… the Eiffel Tower… the Louvre… him… French…places…

"France was… frenchy. I went to the bakery every day and ate pastries all day. Also the-" The door slid open and classroom two's advisor walked in. The loud chitter chatter of the students dropped down to a low murmur as they walked to their seats and sat down.

"Good morning students. I hope you had a nice break." The advisor was tall, middle-aged, and refined in manner.

"Good morning Imonoyama-sensei."

"Well, students. Today we have a transfer student. Normally, here at Tomoeda we don't accept students mid-year, but this particular boy passed all the exams with exceedingly high scores. On top of that, he comes to us from Hong Kong." The murmur of the class became a full thunder of conversation again as the students discussed the news of a new transfer student. _We have a transfer student at this time of year. He must be smart…_

"D'you think he's hot?"

"How do you know it's a he?"

"Imonoyama-sensei said he was a boy."

"Think he looks like one of those Hong Kong movie stars?"

"I hope he's single."

"You'd never get with him."

"Ahem." Imonoyama-sensei cleared his throat. "Settle down, students. Why don't you come in and introduce yourself, my boy?" The class gasped and many of the girls squealed and giggled as an extremely handsome male with auburn hair stepped through the door and stood in front of the classroom. He brushed his hair out of his eyes by swinging his head, then brushed it again with a swish of his hand, and gave the class a dazzling smile. The school uniforms looked good on all of the students, but on this particular boy, it made him look straight out of a drama, like a model, like a celebrity. It accentuated his body in all the right places, even wearing the full uniform. His long legs and lean body, his wide shoulders. The class burst into full commotion.

"Oh my god. He is SO hot!"

"Do you think he smiled at me?"

"Tomouaki would get sooo pissed off if he found out about this."

"You wouldn't cheat on him…

"If it was with this guy? Hell yeah!"

"He's gonna take away all the babes!"

"I bet you I can get a date with him after school."

"D'you think he's good at swimming?"

"Students, please! I apologize. It's their first day back from break, so they're a bit rowdy. Go ahead and introduce yourself." Imonoyama-sensei stepped away from the front of the classroom and sat in a chair at the side, near the window.

Sakura froze. She could not believe it, but when the hazel eyes of the new student met hers, she knew. It was him. He had transferred into her school. Her grade. Her class. Li Syaoran.

"Good morning. Ah… my name is… Li Syaoran." Syaoran took a piece of chalk and wrote out his name on the board in Chinese, then in katakana. Sakura's heart skipped a beat when she heard him speak. His voice was so deep… not low, but… mellow. Creamy… Sexy. Like smooth, rich coffee. She didn't remember him sounding like that when she first bumped into him. His voice was… so attractive. "That's how you spell it in katakana. Um… I come from Hong Kong, and I came here to Japan to study… because… my family felt it was best for my education to come to a place like Tomoeda High School to finish my secondary education." His eyes met hers. Locked on to her, bore deep into her sockets. But she could not look away. Then Imonoyama-sensei broke their visual connection.

"Well, thank you for the lovely introduction. Children, you have 10 minutes before math. Welcome to Tomoeda, Li-san." Imonoyama-sensei opened the door and exited the room. And nearly the entire class rushed to talk to the new student.

"Li! Come sit behind me!"

"Did you really come all the way from Hong Kong just to go to school here?"

"How many chicks have you … you know?"

"Are you dating anyone right now, Li?"

"Want to sit with us at lunch?"

Tomoyo looked at Sakura with mild amusement, seeing that her best friend had adopted a sulky expression on her face. "S'that the one?" Sakura bit her lip so that it almost bled and looked determinedly at the chair in front of her. "I guess that means yes…" Chiharu and Rika exchanged confused looks.

"What's wrong Sakura?"

"She's met our new transfer student before. Twice, in fact." Chiharu gasped.

"Are you serious? Is that true Sakura?" _Unfortunately. The first time he embarrassed me and the second time he made a rude comment. And now he's here to ruin my life again. At least he's hot…_

"Yeah… it's… highly coincidential. Must be a small world." Sakura laughed feelby. Syaoran broke away from the crowd of inquisitive adolescents and seated himself behind her. She felt as if a iron had suddenly been applied to her back and jumped in her seat._ Look at the table, count the lines of wood_…Tried to get her mind off the male sitting behind her, tried to ignore the fire he was boring into her back with his intense stare. She nearly turned around to tell him to stop staring at her when Shimizu-sensei, the math teacher, walked in and sent a wave of silence throughout the classroom with her stern gaze.

"New student Imonoyama's told me about. You back there, you the one from Hong Kong who got the perfect math score?" _What? Perfect score in math?Oh, thanks a lot Buddha._

"Yes, ma'am."

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She couldn't concentrate. No matter how much she tried to concentrate on solving the set of problems in front of her, she couldn't get it out her head. Couldn't get him out of her head. Because of the sequence of events. Their meeting was way too coincidental. He couldn't have been in her class just by pure chance. There had to be something behind it.

_At my school… At my school… oh my god he's really stalking me. Maybe that department store thing was different but… at my school… my class? Right behind me… He'll come to my house. Stand outside. Call my phone every hour. Leave messages. Kidnap me and rape me. Oh god. Maybe I should report this to the teachers. This isn't normal. A teacher. Any teacher… maybe they'll sent him back to France. Back to Hong Kong. Maybe… maybe he's using an alias, and he's not really from Hong Kong. Maybe he's some sort of gang criminal, and I'm his next target, and all of his groupies will gang up on me and-_

"Nice to meet you again, Sa-chan. I'm Syaoran, remember? Did you forget me?" He poked her back with the eraser tip of his pencil. Even at a whisper, his voice was sexy and irresistible to female ears. Sakura grew shivers down her spine.

"Um… no… I didn't forget you."_ How could I forget you? You're going to rape me and gang up on me with your gang member groupies and take turns violating me. Can't forget that. And you have Gucci shoes. Maybe you're part of the Italian mafia… Oh fuck. Great. The family. The family will come and gang up on me and rape me. Godfather. Hah. Oh jeez I'm taking this way too far. You're just a kid. Just a kid. Like me, even if you do have Gucci shoes and you're stalking me. And keep looking at me and keep ta-_

"Kinomoto-san, please differentiate f(x) 2x5coshx." Sakura snapped out of her daze. What? A teacher asking her to solve a math problem? Math was her weakest subject. She wouldn't know anything, Differentiate? Was that the same thing as a derivative? Was that supposed to be her homework? She didn't know what Shimizu-sensei was talking about. At all. Not a clue. And she was expected to solve this problem? What was the problem? She didn't even know the problem. She wasn't paying attention. She would get in trouble. Shimizu-sensei knew she wasn't paying attention, and decided to single her out as the daily victim.

"Ah… um… uh…."

"10x4coshx + 2x5sinhx." Syaoran whispered quietly by her ear. _What?_

"The answer is 10x4coshx + 2x5sinhx." The mafia member, telling her the answer to a math problem? Were mafia members supposed to be smart? She watched Shimizu-sensei's lip curl as she prepared to give her a lecture about doing her homework and keeping up with the rest of the class. The teacher wanted an answer and she had no clue what the answer was. The answer… the answer…

"Ah… um… ehhrrr… f'(x) 10x4coshx + 2x5sinhx …?" Was that the answer? What if it was wrong? What if-

"… Very good… Kinomoto-san. Now, Arisugawa-san…" She didn't get in trouble! She got the answer right! And… The gang member was smart… very smart. _Of course he's smart you dimwitted bean. He totally owned the math portion of the entrance exam… unlike you._

"I could tutor you if you want…" What? Tutor? Now he was making propositions to tutor her in math? Just because she couldn't answer one problem! _I was so working on it… I knew the answer you pig-headed…_

"No thank you. And if I need any help I'll-"

"Kinomoto-san. Do you believe that just because you answered one question without turning into an utterly slow and mumbling fool that you have now mastered my class and no longer need to _pay attention_? Or are you thanking Li-san for whispering the answer so indiscreetly into your ear?" How did she know? She didn't look she didn't…

"I'm sorry Shimizu-sensei. I was actually asking Kinomoto-san about how she solved that problem, because when I looked at her paper, I saw she used a method that I haven't learned in Hong Kong." _What?_ _Why are you helping me get out of trouble? What are you going to do to me?_ Sakura looked over at Tomoyo, sitting five desks away. Her pale face smirked back at Sakura. _Oh yeah, thanks._ Sakura then looked up into Shimizu-sensei's aging and sour face. Looked down. The pages of the notebook sitting in front of her were as blank as the face of the kid sitting next to her, dozing off and daydreaming.

"That… is certainly interesting… Li-san it would be better to ask questions directly to me rather than seek another method of differentiation from Kinomoto-san here. Moving on, let us…" _Whew… that was close_.

As Shimizu-sensei turned around to put up another problem on the board for the class to solve, the bells signaling the end of the first class and a small break resonated throughout the classrooms. Loud chatter and dirty looks at Sakura broke loose, but she stayed, planted in her seat. Whispering, murmuring, Shimizu-sensei's icy glare before the elderly teacher left the classroom into the faculty area. _I guess the storm is over_… Sakura slowly got up from her seat to go talk to Tomoyo when a warm and heavy hand touched her shoulder. _What…?_

"Just a minute there, Sa-chan. You need to pay me back you know."


	4. Chapter 4

**A CHANCE ENCOUNTER**

Author's Note: A reviewer noticed that one of the characters I had named wasn't part of CLAMP. To be honest, that name was a jumped-into-my-head though and being the bad manga/anime fan I am, I for some reason thought Naruto was part of CLAMP. Stupid, right? So I changed Sasuke's name, thank you!

To another reviewer who speaks French fluently: That also was a really stupid mistake. Thank you for catching my egregious error and I updated it according to what I deciphered in your message :)

Note: Cardcaptor Sakura is © CLAMP

CHAPTER 4

"Hell no!"

"Baby, don't yell, you'll draw unnecessary attention to yourself."

Sakura was humiliated. Utterly and completely embarrassed. She had never been asked anything like this before. And felt the piercing eyes of all the female students of classroom two burn into her back through the wall she was leaning against, right outside classroom two. _Oh shit this is serious_… Sakura walked across directly across the school hall to look outside the large, glass pane window. Down below. Down to the playground of the elementary school branch of Tomoeda. _Look at those kids play_…_ I wish I was still a kid… so… carefree. We didn't have to worry about stuff like this_…

"Well?" _Oh yeah… I forgot about him_. Slowly turning around, Sakura lifted her head and those startlingly green eyes looked sheepishly into those of Li Syaoran's. And she froze. As if she could not move, as if time had stopped in its tracks. As if she were a small rodent, caught in the deathful gaze of a cobra ready to strike.

"Well? Are we agreed or not… Sa-chan?" And time started up again. Sakura drew a shuddered inward breath and looked down again. What would she be risking, if she said no? What kind of things was this person possible of doing, this person who… _stalker stalker stalker stalker stalker stalker stalker stalker stalker stalker… Shimizu-sensei will know. All the others will know. I'll be looked down upon. But if I say yes…_

"Fine. But I'm not going to do anything else."

"Don't worry Sa-chan. I'm not like that."

"Sakura. It's Kinomoto Sakura. わかる?"

"Sure..." Suddenly, Sakura turned and glared at him. And the eyes of Kinomoto Sakura were not dancing, but became fiery and threatening. Eyes of wrath and fury and burning ice.

"You have made it perfectly, consummately clear. I will not ask you to do anything else."

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_Damn, what's up with this girl? Is she scared of me? Is she playing hard to get? She's acting as if I'm some sort of psycho that might jump rape her. She _owes_ me. I saved her neck._

"Thank you, Li-san." Sakura let out a small sigh and for the first time that morning, gave a small, but electrifying smile to Syaoran, then walked back slowly into the classroom, making her way towards Tomoyo and her other friends. And Syaoran did a double-take. What an adorable smile the young woman had. He felt his face redden up. Li Syaoran, Li Syaoran blushed at the sight of a girl smiling at him. Not even a real smile, not even a cheeky, heartwarming smile. A smile signifying the resolution of a conflict, of an accomplishment. Blushed. Blushed. Blushed. What an unmanly thing, an unfamiliar thing, an un-Li-like thing.

"She's cute, isn't she?" Syaoran, leaning against the edge of the doorway, looked over to his right and Hiiragizawa Eriol stood with a quiet smile, his hand still holding open the door to the boy's restroom. The door closed again and moments later the two young men stood opposite each other, silent, in the doorway of classroom two, arms crossed, legs crossed, the eyes of half a dozen female students upon them, urging the two to look at them, give them a smile. Gazing at Sakura's group of friends.

"I've been chasing her for a while now… I don't know whether she's ignoring me or whether she isn't aware I exist." Eriol grinned slightly at Syaoran, but the Hong Kong native kept a serious face.

"Who? Kinomoto?"

"No, her companion. The maiden with magnificent, silky royal violet locks. Eyes like mysterious, pure, crystal clear pools of water. Lips as voluptuous and rich as the blood that pulses through her veins. A voice so angelic that even the goddesses in heaven fly down to earth to listen to her song in raging envy. Don't you dare take her. She's mine." Syaoran took his eyes off Sakura and looked at Eriol, whose face was dreamlike, wistful, but full of hope and optimism. Whose eyes were far away, reaching out to Tomoyo, urging her to look his way, softly, gently. _Wow. This guy…_

"_You_ sound like you're in love with her."

"I am obsessed. She is my muse."

"For what?"

"Everything. Inspiration. Life itself. If she didn't exist I would be locked up in a sepulcher, damned for eternity, because this wondrous maiden was not given life. Given life for me to sing hourly praises of her being."

"You sound like a stalker."

"I'm not! I exist so I can make her beautiful eyes and her glorious face look in my direction..." _Yeah… obsessed…._

"Doesn't look like she's noticing you now." Eriol snapped out of his trancelike state and turned to look at Syaoran, smiling.

"Sakura is her world. Sakura, her designs, and her other friends. I am merely a speck of dust floating over the gold that appears on the ground following every step she takes."

"Right… Ohayou gozaimasu, sensei." A fairly young female teacher with long, curly jet-black hair smiled at Syaoran, lowering his head slightly in a polite bow, as she approached.

"Am I right in guessing that you are the new transfer student, Li Syaoran?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"I see. Well, class is starting soon. You should get your things together." As Oruha-sensei walked past the boys and entered the classroom, a girl with flowing blue hair, previously sitting three seats to Syaoran's right side, approached the two men.

"Hi, Li-san! My name is Ryuuzaki Umi and my friends were wondering if you'd like to come and eat lunch with us today."

"Ehhhh… I'm sorry, but might I ask who your friends are?" Syaoran shifted his gaze to Eriol, trying to urge him with his eyes to say something to deflect the marine-haired girl's offer without being rude or mean.

"Oh! It's just me, Fuu, and Hikaru."

"I see." Again, Syaoran sent a mental message to Eriol. _Help me, please. Get me out of this situation…_ and Eriol finally seemed to notice and catch on to Syaoran's pleading stare.

"Ah, sorry Umi. Syaoran and I were actually talking about where we wanted to eat for lunch… yeah… I already asked him… sorry." Syaoran sighed inwardly, then jumped back to attention when Umi's face lightened up again.

"Oh! I know this great place! Next to the junior high fields! It's really nice and shady there!"

"Oh… um…"

"Students? Would you please join your classmates? Class has started already." Both Syaoran and Eriol let out a large sigh of relief as they left the doorway and made their way back to their seats, with Umi whispering flirtatiously, "I'll just ask you another time…" _Um… no._

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"Oh, I'm starving!" Sakura, Tomoyo, and all of their friends quickly left their classrooms and ran all the way outside to the area where they normally ate lunch together, as they did in elementary school. Nearly ripping the fabric that was wrapped around her lunch, Sakura quickly undid the knot in the top of her lunch and opened the cloth, staring hungrily at her lunch. _Uuugh… tummy… hungry... eat… sushi…_ Sakura took out one succulent piece of hamachi nigiri sushi and had almost placed into her mouth when Yanagisawa Naoko pointed something out colossal.

"Um… Sakura-chan. Shouldn't you dip that in wasabi? Because… the… raw… you know…"

"There should be wasabi under the fish." Again, Sakura put the raw fish and rice near her mouth when Rika interrupted.

"But… nigiri sushi doesn't always have wasabi already put on it…" Annoyed by her friends and the deterrence of what she thought would be a delicious, flavorful lunch, Sakura separated the fish from the molded rice and discovered that indeed, there was no wasabi sandwiched between the hamachi and the sushi rice. _First, that goddamned request from the mafia member and now no wasabi on my sushi. What did I do to deserve this...?_

"Maybe… the cafeteria will have some wasabi?"

"Maybe my day just keeps getting worse and worse…" As Sakura slowly got up and started sulking toward the school cafeteria, she heard a gasp, a shuffle, and Chiharu bounced up beside her.

"Eh? Why aren't you eating lunch, Chiharu?"

"Oh, I have something that I need to do…"

"Such as?"

"It's a secret, Sakura-chan!" Winking at Sakura and at the same time pressing one finger over her lips, Mihara Chiharu ran ahead of Sakura with her half-eaten lunch not to the cafeteria, but to another part of the school, leaving Sakura thoroughly confused.

_What…'s going on…_


End file.
